FREE WELSH FILM DEVELOPMENT LAB
Do you have a unique idea for a contemporary Welsh feature film? Would you like support to write and pitch it? If so, this free online workshop is for you.
The course: This free writing lab offered by Ffilm Cymru and Brynach Day will be held over a four-month period. The classes will be held online on Thursday evenings with one in-person Saturday session in either Wrexham or Swansea (depending on which is nearest). During the course you’ll learn about loglines, pitch decks, character design, dialogue, style, and three act structure. You’ll also get to present and be given feedback on your pitch deck materials as well as the first pages of your new feature film. Our guests will include successful writers and producers working in the UK and USA.
The tutor: Brynach did his MFA in directing/production at UCLA. His first feature script was chosen as an American Zoetrope Top Ten Screenplay, and it received a Ffilm Cymru Horizons award. He’s developed scripts and TV shows with Gethin Scourfield (Hinterland), Sophie Francis (In my Skin), and Ohna Falby (The Beast in the Jungle). His short film Roleplay was nominated for awards at The London Short Film Festival, Slamdance, and the Munich Student Film Festival. He has taught with UCLA Extension, The Met Film School, NFTS Cymru and now UWE in Bristol.
The brief: We're looking for first time feature writers who have film ideas that reflect the breadth of lived experiences in Wales today. We aren't interested in big epic stories about important historical events, or in familiar Welsh narratives (a Chat GTP search of contemporary stories will give you a list of these). Instead, we are interested in contained stories set within unexplored subcultures or settings. The benchmark for the types of stories we want to develop in this lab include The Ceremony, Limbo, Brides (2025), God's Own Country, Beats, and Human Traffic. We want personal stories inspired by the writer’s direct experiences as we believe that firsthand knowledge is the best way to create both specific and fresh Welsh stories.
How to apply: You’ll need to answer a few short questions about your story idea, and you’ll be asked about the experience you have of the world your story is set in. You’ll also need to provide two writing samples. A 1-2 page scene from your film, and 500 word sample of your writing. This sample could be a scene from a short script, poems, flash fiction, spoken word, a short story, or an excerpt from a novel. The samples will need to be submitted in English.
A link to the application form can be found here. The application deadline is 10 PM on October 31st
You’ll be notified if you have been successful by November 7th. We can’t give feedback on applications.
The cost: The workshop is free thanks to the support of Ffilm Cymru.
No prior screenwriting experience is required – you just need to have a compelling idea and have the time to write it
Requirements
You must be:
· Living in Wales
· Be over 18
· Not be in full time education
Class dates & times:
· Online every Thursday from 7-10 PM from November 13th, 2025, to January 31st, 2026. There will be no class on December 25th and January 1st.
· In person in Wrexham on February 7th for North Wales students, and February 14th for South Wales students.